RESIDENTS had a lucky escape after part of a roof came crashing down onto a car.

Concrete slabs on the roof divide of a house in Fawcett Road, Southsea, slid off and smashed into the bonnet of a vehicle underneath.

A firefighter looks at a roof that collapsed in Fawcett Road, near Havelock Community Centre in Southsea''Picture: Ben Fishwick

While no-one was hurt during the incident, which happened around 4.30pm today, police said things could have turned out much differently.

Sergeant Rob Sutton said: ‘No-one was in the car, and no persons were around at the time.

‘However, that is a lucky escape because these concrete slabs falling from the house would have caused some severe injuries.

‘People in the car would have been safe because the slabs landed on the bonnet.

‘But if they had gone through the windscreen, it could have been a different matter.’

The woman who owned the car had gone to get some milk from Tesco in Albert Road before returning to discover what happened.

The street at its entrance with Albert Road was taped off by police while the incident was dealt with.

Firefighters were called out to clear the slabs off the car and remove other material on the roof which had also become loose.

Pedestrians were told to walk on the other side of the road to ensure they were safe.

Nicola Doody, 26, of Somers Town, was riding past on her bicycle when she saw a woman scream for help.

‘I thought a gang of people had thrown stones at the house. It was lucky that no-one was hurt.’

The cause of what happened is not known, though the building is in the process of being renovated.

Sgt Sutton said the landlord of the property was contacted and he got his builders to help clean up the rest of the debris lying about and check the place out as he was away.

Station manager Jim Clark, of Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: ‘We were called to an unsafe structure which had roof slabs that had fallen down.

‘We needed to liaise with the police to make the situation safe to ensure people didn’t walk nearby, and called an appliance to remove the loose debris before handing the situation over to the landlord and his builders.’